Ghosts
by auroraborealus
Summary: For DivaliciousDooL. Mara is beautiful, stylish and on the fast track to success at her public relations firm. After her client ends up in a coma and becomes her own personal ghost of Christmas past, present, and future; she finds she must change her unethical ways. Reuniting with a certain WWE Superstar lover might be the answer. Mara belongs to DivaliciousDooL. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

The young girl was in a coma.

Word spread throughout the community of the tragic car accident that killed the driver of the car she'd been in and sent her battered and broken to the intensive care unit of St. Louis Memorial hospital. The drunk driver who'd hit them broadside had walked away from the accident without a scratch.

All day long family and friends and colleagues had trickled into the hospital, bearing flowers she couldn't see and cards she couldn't read. Her parents and brother sat a constant vigil by her bedside, praying that she'd pull through.

It was this scene that Mara found herself looking in at with a look of mild distaste. She hadn't really wanted to come here, she barely knew the girl, Caitlin. She was a client, an aspiring signer, but Mara rarely dealt with her directly, instead farming her off on assistants. Her time was valuable and she only directly handled big time clients. A second rate semi-professional singer like Caitlin was definitely _not_ big time.

But the firm had insisted for image's sake. She had to put on a concerned face and act like she cared. Well, might as well get this charade over with.

She ran a manicured hand over her glossy dark brown hair, checking her faint reflection in the small window of the hospital room door. Her large, dark onyx eyes stood out against her pale, porcelain skin. They were the most striking feature in her beautiful face. It may have been her long legs or slim, athletic figure that turned men's heads but it was her eyes that brought them to their knees.

She knocked softly and pushed her way in before anyone could answer.

"Hello," she said to the haggard looking older woman who must be Caitlin's mother. "I'm Mara, I'm Caitlin's PR agent. I'm so sorry for what's happened."

Caitlin's father rose to his feet, putting his hand out."Thank you so much for coming." He said. He was older than the mom, deep lines creased his face but under the red rimmed sorrow his eyes were kind and his voice genuinely grateful and welcoming.

Mara, shook his hand briskly and looked around for a space to put the flowers she'd brought.

"Oh, here, dear, let me take those, "Caitlin's mother said. She smiled tremulously at the bouquet of flowers. "Tiger lilies, those are Cat's favorite. How thoughtful of you."

Mara smiled back. Were they Caitlin's favorites? She didn't know. She'd merely grabbed the first flower arrangement she saw from the hospital gift shop on her way up to the room. "So….how is she?" she asked.

The younger, good looking man, he must be Caitlin's brother, she was way too plain to have such a gorgeous boyfriend, spoke up, "She's in bad shape. Both legs are broken, broken ribs, punctured lung, lacerated liver. And she's in a coma. They don't know when or if she'll come out of it."

_Greeeaaaatttt_. Mara thought sourly. _Just what she needed, a dead client. _"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there anything I could do?"

"Well," Caitlin's mother hesitated, "There is one thing, if you wouldn't mind." She glanced at her son who nodded.

"It looks like Cat may need a liver transplant," he said solemnly. "Her liver is so damaged that even if she pulls out of this coma, they don't know how long she'd be able to survive. The transplant lists are very long and with her other injuries she'd been marked as very low on the recipient list. "

Mara listened with growing dismay. What the hell were they asking her to do?

"We've all been tested for compatibility but unfortunately none of us are a match. We've been asking everyone who's come to visit if they wouldn't mind being tested," he must have seen the look on her face because he hurried on before she could say anything,"I know it's a huge thing to ask, and odds are you probably wouldn't be a match anyway but if you would be willing to have yourself tested, so we know if there are any alternatives."

Mara raised her eyebrows, her black eyes clearly telegraphing her thoughts of _are you fucking kidding me?_

"Uhm. Don't I need my liver to live?" she asked barely keeping the sarcasm out of her voice.

"It would be a partial liver transplant," Caitlin's father said softly, "From what I understand; both the donor and the recipient's livers will eventually grow back to full size, so you won't be giving up your liver permanently."

Mara resisted the urge to tap her expensive Jimmy Choos. These people were nuts. Did they honestly expect her to undergo major surgery for some girl she'd met a grand total of two times in her entire life?

"O..of course," she said, plastering a big, fake smile on her face, "I'd be happy to." Eh, what the hell. The odds of her being a match were one in a million and it was good PR. "Where do I sign up?"

"You can speak with the nurses outside. They'll direct you." Caitlin's brother said. Damn, he was good looking! She idly wondered if he had a girlfriend. Maybe he'd need a little comforting if his sister happened to bite it?

"OK, I'll ask," she assured them. "Well, I've got to go. I have an appointment this afternoon."

"Oh, thank you so much for coming by dear," Caitlin's mother said, giving her a big hug. Mara gingerly hugged the older woman back. "I'm so pleased to see Cat has such lovely friends. " She looked at Mara with tears glistening in her eyes.

"Oh, no problem," Mara said, extricating herself from the woman's embrace. Time to go; this was starting to get seriously depressing!

She quickly left the room, grimacing as she closed the door behind her. This is why she hated hospitals!

"Hi," she said, "I uhm, guess I need to be tested to see if I am a compatible match for a liver transplant?"

The nurse on duty smiled, "Why, of course. Thank you so much! That poor girl. Here, I'll get you the paperwork and you can take it down to the first floor. They'll get you right in."

"Greeaaat," Mara said as she accepted the piece of paper.

* * *

She took the elevator down to the first floor and followed the directions to the hospital's lab. She knocked on the door and opened it. The room was almost empty except for a tall man who stood with his back to her, rolling his sleeve down.

"Uhm, hello?" she said.

The man turned. Their eyes met and they both froze.

"Mara?" he said at last.

Mara blinked, for an instant wondering if she was seeing things. But he was still there.

"Randy," she said at last, "Hi, how are you?"

His handsome face broke into a wide smile as he walked toward her, arms wide open. She briefly stiffened as he hugged her, then relented and hugged him back. He felt thinner than when she'd last seen him and he had a scurf of a beard across his cheeks but his blue eyes and his smile were still the same.

"Hi! I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?" he said.

Mara pulled back from his arms and forced a smile.

"Randy, I've been good." She said, looking him up and down. He _was_ thinner, but he looked good. He was fit and in shape and had that same lopsided smile he'd first charmed her with so long ago.

"Wow," he said, holding her out at arm's length, "You look great! Still gorgeous as always! Are you back in town?"

Mara smiled back. He still knew how to flatter a girl that was for sure. "No, I'm in town on business. A client of mine was just in a serious car accident. I've come down to see how she is."

Randy's expression sobered, "Do you mean Caitlin?" He asked.

Mara's perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised, "How did you know?" she asked.

Randy pushed his sleeve back up and showed her a bandage on the inside of her elbow. "That's why I'm here, to be tested to see if I'm compatible to give her part of my liver. She's my buddy's cousin. It's terrible what happened to her."

Mara nodded, "Yeah, bad luck," she replied. "I'm going to get tested too."

Randy's face broke into a pleased smile. She felt a little thrill run through her, ah, he still made her heart flutter. "That is so great of you." He said. "Wow, you are such a good person, you'd do something like that for a client. I always loved your good heart, Mara."

Mara suppressed an urge to roll her eyes.

_And your sappiness always bored me to tears._

"Well, that's me." She said, "Little Miss Goody Two Shoes!"

"Hey!" Randy's eyes lit up, "How long are you going to be here? Maybe we can grab lunch or something?"

"Well…"Mara hesitated, "I'm actually supposed to fly back out tomorrow."

"OK," Randy said, "How about dinner, tonight? I'd love to catch up with you."

Mara hesitated, "I don't know, Randy…"

Randy's full lips turned down in the cute pout she remembered so well and he gave her his best puppy dog eyes, "Oh c'mon." he persuaded," Just a dinner. We don't have to go out, you can come to my place. I'll even cook for you? Please?"

Mara couldn't help but laugh, "Oh, all right!" she said.

"All right!" Randy said happily as he pulled a pen out of his pocket and jotted something down on a scrap of paper. "Here's my address and my phone number. See you about…seven?"

"Sure," Mara said slipping the scrap of paper into her pocket.

"Well, I've got to go," Randy said," But I'll see you later?"

"See you later!" Mara agreed.

Randy turned to go but then paused a moment, laying a hand on her arm. She looked up at him, slightly startled. His blue eyes were locked on hers, an indecipherable look in their depths.

"Mara, I'm really glad I ran into you." He said softly. She could feel the heat from his fingers sinking into the skin of her arm, "I've really missed you."

She smiled back at him, "Me too, Randy." She said.

Why the hell was she doing this? She wondered again as the technician strapped a rubber band tightly around her arm. She hated needles and there was no way in hell she was going to give anyone part of her liver, even if by some miracle she turned out to be a match.

Oh yeah, it made her look really good. And that equaled more clients and more clients equaled greater success as she climbed the corporate ladder at her firm. Being an agent to the would be stars meant there were certain charades you had to play.

When the procedure was finally over she emerged from the lab. There was no sign of Randy Orton. She took a deep breath and let it out in a gush. He was the last person she'd ever expected to run into but then she'd forgotten she _was_ in his hometown. Seven years ago she'd met and dated and almost married Orton who was at that time a rising superstar in the WWE. Their breakup had been abrupt and ugly, their engagement ruined when he discovered she'd been sleeping with the vice-president of her public relations firm.

He'd packed his bags and left that night, preferring to live out of his car rather than spend a single extra minute with her. She'd apologized and pleaded for forgiveness but when the suitcases came out so did the ugly bitch that lurked inside of her. She told him good riddance, she was glad he'd found out (she wasn't) and that she'd only been looking for an excuse to break up with him anyway. He gave her a single pained look, told her goodbye and walked out of the door and her life.

The affair with the vice-president outlasted her engagement to Randy by a mere two weeks as he suddenly quit his job, or maybe he was fired. The last she'd heard of him was that his wife had left him, taken the kids and was in divorce court proceeding to bleed him dry of every cent he had.

As the years passed, she knew Randy eventually forgave her. Underneath the brass, WWE superstar exterior he had a heart of mush. She never tried to contact him again though. At first she was ashamed of what she'd done and how she'd lost him. Later, as she grew harder, she began to blame him for being boring, for being too trusting, for driving her into someone else's arms. Or so that's what she told herself.

As she was walking out of the hospital she saw two elderly women manning a table in the hospital lobby.

"Hello dear!" one of them called as she started to walk out.

"We're from the Association of Saint Joan. We run a battered woman's shelter and are looking for people to volunteer their time or money. Could we give you a pamphlet?"

Mara hardly even broke stride, "Sorry!"She called out over her shoulder, "Can't spare either!"

God, it irritated her to see people sitting around looking for handouts. Everywhere you turned it seemed someone else had their hand out, save the children, save the rain forests, donate to the SPCA. They needed to get off their asses and help themselves. No one had ever helped her to get where she was.

She got into her rental car, a shiny black Mercedes sedan and drove to the hotel. She was hot and tired and wanted a bath and a glass of wine.

The hotel lobby was empty as she walked up to the front desk. A young woman greeted her with a friendly smile.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

Mara looked at her and then did a double take, "Cat?" she said in shock. Except for her brown hair she was the spitting image of the young woman in a coma back at Saint Louis Memorial.

The young woman's smile faltered as she glanced at her computer screen, "Uhm, I'm sorry?"

Mara blinked her eyes hard and looked at her again. Wait, no, on second thought, this girl really didn't look like Caitlin after all. She had fuller lips, and bigger eyes which were blue instead of brown. This girl was fairly attractive whereas Caitlin looked like a cow chewing her cud.

"Oh, sorry, thought you were someone else. " Mara muttered under her breath.

She gave the clerk her name and soon had a room key and a bell hop carrying her bags up to her luxury suite. There was a cheerful fire in the fireplace. Once inside she called room service and ordered a bottle of white wine, make that two and started running a bath. She sighed as she sank into the luxurious bubbles with a glass of wine in her hand. Ah, this was exactly what she needed.

She soaked leisurely, sipping glass after glass of wine until the water was tepid and an entire bottle was empty. She pulled the stopped with her toe and let the water drain out as she stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself into a fluffy hotel robe.

She was carefully combing out her wet hair when her cell phone rang. She picked it up and frowned at the unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hello, this is Saint Louis Memorial hospital calling. May I speak to Mara please?"

Caitlin was dead. Well, at least that meant she really could fly out of here tomorrow. Too bad, so sad but she had other fish to fry.

"Yes, it is," she said, preparing to sound sad and shocked as would be expected of her.

"This is Dr. Leonard Murry. We've analyzed the results of the compatibility test you so graciously had done this afternoon and we're pleased to tell you, you are a match!"

The wine glass slipped out of her fingers and fell to the rug, darkening the carpet where the wine spilled, "W-what?" she gasped.

"Yes!" The doctor said, mistaking her shock for happiness, "And also Caitlin has begun to show signs of emerging from her coma. So we would like to do the transplant as soon as possible. Miss?...Miss?"

Mara felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach, "no, "she heard herself say.

The doctor was taken aback, "are you having second thoughts, Miss? I completely understand but without a liver transplant, Caitlin may only have a few weeks to live!"

Mara stared at the phone in growing disgust and then pressed the 'end call' button and threw it across the room. It landed on the sofa, unharmed. What the hell!

After about thirty seconds, the phone began to ring again. She stared at it as if it were a venomous snake. When it finally stopped ringing, she snatched it up and turned it off.

NO WAY! Uh-uh! She shook her head. No one was going to cut her open. She was sorry for Caitlin, well, kind of, but she was going to have to get her liver from someone else.

She stumbled slightly as she walked over and picked up her wine glass. The room was spinning, maybe she'd had a wee bit too much to drink? She didn't worry about it as she opened the second bottle of wine and poured another glass. She was a grown woman and no one was going to tell her what to do and if they tried they could all kiss her ass.

Caitlin was just some little two bit wanna-be singer. Mara was an important person. She was making the right decision. As she slowly drank the wine, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She sank back into the couch, closing her eyes. In a matter of minutes she was deeply asleep. She completely forgot about her date with Randy.

* * *

Her eyes flew open as something fell with a loud BANG! She sat straight up on the couch, wincing slightly as a dull throb of pain shot through her head. What _was_ that? She looked around for the source of the noise but didn't see anything. The fire in the fireplace had guttered to low glowing coals. How long had she been asleep?

She looked at her watch. It was 11:30 pm. She'd been asleep for over five hours. Her eye fell on the empty wine bottle, no the two empty wine bottles. She made a ruefull face. More and more often she was finding herself drinking herself to a fitful sleep.

As she rubbed her face it occurred to her she was supposed to do something. What was it? Suddenly, she remembered her date with Randy. Oh crap. Well, maybe it was better that she hadn't gone. There was no good in stirring up old relationships. Besides, someone as good looking as Randy, she was sure he didn't have trouble getting dates.

She was looking through her purse for some asprin when the sound came again, not quite as loud this time but it was the same loud BANG!

She jumped and looked toward the door. Was this a joke? Was someone knocking?

"Who is it?" she asked in a voice that trembled slightly.

The knock came again BANG!

"Stop it!" she yelled.

She started for the hotel phone, meaning to call the front desk to complain when the door flew open. A huge gust of cold air came in blasting her in the face and sending her shivering beneath the robe.

A pale shape was standing in the door. It looked like a girl, but she was so white that Mara swore she could almost see right through her.

"W-who are you?" she demanded, "get out of here before I call the police!"

The shape made no reply as it slowly entered the room, seeming to drift upon the cold air. Mara backed away, clutching the neck of the robe closed.

"What do you want?" she cried.

The figure finally raised it head. Mara gasped. This time there was no mistake her semi homely face. It was Caitlin.

"You died!" Mara gasped.

The apparition slowly shook her head, "No, I am not who you think I am."

Mara swallowed, her hands trembling. What was going on? Was she really still asleep and dreaming? Was she drunk?

Caitlin drifted closer to her, looking sternly into her face, "I have come to you wearing the face of your guilt. You have led a shallow and purile life. It's time you face your own sins."

"What are you talking about?" Mara demanded, "I've never done anything, never broken any laws. I've just worked my ass off, clawed my way to the top and people resent me for it!"

"You think you owe nothing to those who helped you on your journey? And what have you ever done for anyone else except cause pain and heartache? "

"I've never!" Mara protested hotly.

"No, you've never shown any drop of kindness to your fellow human, "Caitlin agreed, "No charity, no mercy ever found home in the stony ground of your heart. Even this poor girl whose form I wear was nothing to you except a line on a page in a business ledger. You are headed toward a lonely life, to be unloved and unmourned."

Mara shook her head, "No, you're just a figment of my imagination. I've got to quit drinking…"

The ghostly girl continued, as if Mara hadn't spoken, "You will have but one chance to redeem yourself. Use it wisely. Heed my words or forever pay the price."

Mara closed her eyes, whispering to herself, "You are not real, you are not real! This is just a bad trip or something!" maybe if she said it enough times it would be true.

Caitlin didn't seem to be impressed, "You will be visited by three ghosts,…"

"More ghosts?" Mara gasped.

"Without their guidance you could never hope to find redemption. The first one will come when the clock strikes midnight."

"What are these 'ghosts' going to do to me?" Mara demanded.

"Expect the second when the clock strikes one," Caitlin said."And the third—"

"Yeah, yeah, when the clock strikes two." Mara finished for her. She'd opened her eyes again and saw the ghostly girl was floating backwards, away from her toward the window.

"Where are you going?" Mara asked, "What's going to happen?"

"That is up to you," The ghost intoned as she became fainter and fainter, Mara followed her to the window where she seemed to simple melt through it, and then she was gone. Mara threw the window open and looked outside. The night was calm, clear and quiet.

She sat heavily on the couch, rubbing a hand across her face. Was she going crazy? Her eye fell on the bottle of asprin. She took it, shook out three tablets, hesitated and then a fourth. She dumped them into her mouth and chewed grimly, making a face at the horrible bitter taste. She tossed the empty wine bottles in the trash, swearing to never drink again and went to the bedroom.

The surreal night finally came to a close as she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

When Mara woke it was still dark, even though she felt as if she'd been asleep for a week. Her headache was gone and she was famished. She was about to get out of bed when she heard a sonorous chiming sound, the ringing of a large clock echoing down the hall outside of her room. She frowned. She hadn't noticed a clock ringing the hour before. This was a hotel, the guests would be furious at being woken every hour on the hour. She bit her lip and listened, silently counting the chimes.

To her surprise the booming bell kept going, from seven to eight, to nine all the way to twelve before it stopped.

Twelve o'clock?

Whatever clock was doing the ringing it must be telling the wrong time. It had been close to midnight when she fell asleep and she felt as alert and refreshed as if she's slept ten hours. And it wasn't possible that she'd slept through the night and all of the next day to midnight, was it? And it certainly wasn't noon, her curtains were pulled back and she could see the night sky.

She swung her legs out of the bed and groped for her phone on the bedside table before remembering she'd thrown it in the living room last night.

She groped for the light switch but couldn't find it in the unfamiliar room and ended up stubbing her toe.

"Damn it!" she swore, hopping around holding her foot. This was just great!

As she rubbed her toe she suddenly remembered her visitor from last night, the ghostly form of her client Caitlin. Had it all been a drunken dream?

She finally found the light switch and snapped it on and screamed.

There was a person in the room with her, a girl, short, slender, smiling up at her as if she were her best friend.

"Who the hell are you?" Mara demanded.

The girl skipped to the bed and sat down, crossing her thin legs, "Don't you recognize me?" she asked.

Mara stared at her, wide eyed. There _was_ something familiar about her. She was young maybe about 12 or 13 years old. Her large brown eyes sparkled with life in her otherwise not-quite pretty face. Her hair was downright gorgeous, chestnut brown and hung down her back in silken ringlets. She wore a simple, gauzy white robe and had a wreath made of tiger lilies on her head.

Tiger lilies…

"Caitlin?" Mara said in amazement. It was her client, at least how she must have looked as a child in the very bloom of youth. She was a far cry from the broken girl in a coma she'd seen at the hospital.

The girl tilted her head, "If that is who you choose to see me as." Her voice was as soft and gentle as an angel's wings.

Then Mara remembered the words of the other 'ghost' who had visited her.

"Are you….the ghost who's supposed to visit me?" she whispered.

"I am", the girl said.

"You're not Caitlin. Who…or what…are you?" Mara demanded.

"I am the ghost of your past."

"You're the ghost of the past." Mara repeated.

"No, not of the past, of _your _past." The ghost girl said. "I'm to be your guide tonight."

Mara nervously ran a manicured hand through her hair, "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to help you," The ghost of Past said.

Mara shook her head, "But I don't need help. I'm doing fine!"

The ghost smiled, making her plain face beautiful, "Your soul would disagree. C'mon, we've got to go, we don't have much time." She rose from the bed and held out her hand.

Mara wanted to protest but found herself unable to resist the summons. She took the ghost's hand. Her grip was warm and gentle as she started to lead Mara toward the window.

"Wait!" Mara said, digging in her heels, "Are you nuts? I'm not jumping out the window!"

The Ghost of Past laughed, it was a delightful sound, like tiny little bells, "Don't worry, as long as you hold my hand, nothing will hurt you."

The ghost dragged a reluctant Mara through the window. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the drop and the fall, but it never came. Instead, the world suddenly brightened outside of her eyelids.

She opened her eyes.

They were standing on a wide green lawn outside of a large building. Judging by the trees it was late fall. Young people were everywhere, strolling down the paths, hurrying by carrying books. Even though she hadn't been here in years she recognized it immediately.

"Oh my god! I went to school here. This is my college!"

The ghost watched as Mara looked around, her eyes wide with wonder. "It looks just the same as I remember."

She started to walk across the quad remembering every building and tree.

"You remember a lot about this place?" The ghost asked.

"Are you kidding me? I had so much fun in college. I could walk around here blindfolded."

Mara suddenly came to a halt, Oh…my…god…"

She was staring at a group of three students standing beneath a tree. They looked like they were having an animated discussion.

"Where the hell are we?" she said in a quavering voice, "Did we…go back in time?"

The Ghost of Past shook her head, "These are only shadows of what has been."

"Those were my friends," Mara murmured, "My best friend Stacy and her boyfriend Rick, and my friend Joe. Hey, Joe!" She waved her hands.

"They can't hear you," The Ghost of Past said.

"This is unreal," Mara breathed as she circled the little group who chattered on completely unaware of the visitor in their midst.

"Oh my god, if I get one more failing grade in Psych I'm done for!" moaned Stacy.

"Drop the class,"Rick said,"Get out while you still can."

"My parents would kill me!" Stacy retorted, giggling as Rick wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck, "Hey where's Mara anyway? She was supposed to meet us here. Oh, there she is! Mara!"

Mara turned and watched herself hurrying across the quad. Oh, wow, she looked like a fashion victim. Why did she ever thing those pants looked good? Her long black hair was gathered back in a simple ponytail. Mara from the past joined her friends

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys, I invited my roommate." Joe said, "He's new and I thought it would be OK if he kinda got out and met some people. There he is now? Hey Randy, over here!"

Mara's froze, then slowly turned in the direction Joe was yelling.

He came from across the quad, the late afternoon sun lighting him from behind. Dear god, he looked so young, she almost forgot how handsome he'd been the first time she laid eyes on him. He's wearing a grey sweater and jeans, his shoulders broad and his legs long. His brown hair is tousled and falls over one eye. In that moment she could almost fall in love with him all over again.

"Hey Randy," Joe says, clapping him on the back,"these are my friends, Stacy and Rick."

"Hi, nice to meet you guys," Randy says. Stacy looked him up and down then whispered something into Mara's ear that made her face turn red.

"And this, "Joe said, "is Mara."

Mara turned to face Randy as he smiled down at her...

* * *

The sunlight was fading, the quad getting dark. Mara tried to step closer, to see more but the scene faded to black.

Her heart was pounding like a drum,"Oh, my gosh," she whispered, "why did you show me that? It was so long ago..."

"It is still in your heart." the ghost said simply, "let us continue..."

"Wait, there's more? Where are you taking me now?" Mara asked.

"Forward into the past!" The ghost said.

The scene brightened and Mara found herself sitting in the backseat of a car. She looked out the window and saw Randy knocking on a door. She recognized the house.

"This was the house I live in during school. I think this was my first date with Randy!" She said in wonder.

The door opened, she saw herself smile up at Randy. Randy said something that made her laugh and then they walked toward the car.

"Are they going to see us?" Mara, asked nervously.

"No, I told you, these are just shadows" The ghost said.

Randy opened the passenger door and Mara of the past got in. Randy hurried around to the drivers side and slid behind the wheel.

"So," Mara asked brightly, "Where are we going?"

Randy smiled,"It's a surprise! You'll see."

Mara laughed, "Didn't Joe tell you? I hate surprises! But I'll let it pass just this once."

"So,"Randy said, trying to make conversation as he drove,"You said you going for a degree in Public Relations?"

"Yes," Mara said, "I want to work with athletes and performers, up and comers."

"Really?" Randy said, "Well, maybe you can represent me some day?" he teased.

Mara looked at him with interest, "Really? What do you do? Play football?"

Randy laughed,"Not exactly, I'm a wrestler."

"Oh! Wow," Mara said, "Are you on the wrestling team?"

"N-no," Randy said looking at her from the corner of his eye, "I mean, I'm going to be a professional wrestler."

It took a second for Mara to digest, "Professional wrestling? You mean like, Hulk Hogan, stuff like that?"

"Exactly," Randy said.

"Oh," Mara said, she was silent for a moment, digesting this news. Finally she said, "Well, that's good, I guess."

Randy burst out laughing, "I can tell you're enthused," he said.

"Oh, no, no!" Mara said hastily, "It's just, I've never met anyone who wanted to be a professional wrestler before."

Randy nodded,"It's kind of in my blood. My dad, my uncle and grandfather were both wrestlers. Ever heard of Cowboy Bob Orton?"

"Uhm, no," Mara said.

"That's OK, not a lot of people have, but I'm going to be different, I'm going to be big time. I'm going to the WWE."

"Well, I have heard of the WWE. My brother is actually a huge wrestling fan." Mara said.

There was a sudden rattling noise from the car engine. The car jerked and started sputtering.

"What the hell...?" Randy muttered, as he tried pressing on the gas pedal. The car shook and gave a loud _pop_ before stalling out. "Crap!" he exclaimed.

He looked behind them, right past the backseat where present Mara and the ghost sitting out the back window. He could see cars backing up behind them.

"Oh no, "he groaned. "I'm so sorry about this Mara. Would you mind steering while I push the car to the side of the road?"

"Oh, sure,"Mara said, sliding over behind the wheel as he got out of the car and waved apologetically at the cars stuck behind them. He put his shoulder against the back of the car and pushed as Mara guided it to the breakdown lane. He came back to the front of the car.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again. "My car is old, kinda crappy."

"It's OK,"Mara assured him.

"Do you mind waiting just a little bit? I'm going to call a tow truck and a taxi?" Randy asked.

"Sure" Mara said. Randy walked off a few paces flipping open his cell phone.

"I remember this date now," Mara of the present said softly, "It was a disaster. The car broke down, he insisted we don't cancel the date. We took a taxi to the most expensive restaurant in town and it turned out there was some kind of mistake and they lost our reservation. So we had to wait outside for another taxi and it started to_ rain..."_

"It sounds terrible," the ghost commented.

"It was the best date I'd ever had in my life," Mara said softly.

They followed as the tow truck and taxi arrived. They watched as Randy argued with the maitre d' at the restaurant and finally came back to where Mara was waiting.

"They-uh, they don't have my reservation..." he said, looking embarrassed.

Mara touched him on the arm,"Look, Randy. Maybe we should do this another time?"

"No!" Randy said, "I was going to take you out to dinner and that's exactly what I'm going to do! I'm calling another cab and we are going to go out and have a good time, god dammit!"

Mara smiled patiently, feeling a little sorry for him as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called for another taxi.

They strolled outside, waiting on the corner for the cab.

"Look, Mara. I'm really sorry again. You must think I'm an idiot," Randy said.

"No," Mara assured him. What she really thought was that he was the cutest, sweetest guy she'd met in a long time.

Something wet and cold landed on her cheek. Uh-oh. She looked up as another drop of rain fell on her face.

"Oh, shit, NO!" Randy burst out, looking up in despair as the sky seemed to open and it started pouring rain. He took his jacket off and covered her with it but it wasn't much use. By the time the taxi showed up they were both soaked to the bone.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked, looking at the two of them in his rearview mirror.

Randy glanced at Mara, then sighed, "back to my house. I'll borrow Joe's car and run you back home." he gave the cabbie the address to the apartment he and Joe shared.

When they got there, the apartment was empty. Joe was out. Randy tried calling him but got no answer.

"Here, have a seat. Let me get you a towel and something dry." he said.

He returned in dry clothes, with a large, fluffy towel and one of his T shirts and a pair of sweat pants. "You can change in my room," he offered.

She shyly went into his room and closed the door behind her. The room was neat and organized. The bed was neatly made and there were pictures of Randy's family and friends on the walls. She stripped off her soaking dress and pulled the T-Shirt over her head. It was huge, hung down to her knees. The sweatpants were no better. She had to cinch the drawstring and roll up the cuffs. She tried her hair as best as she could and emerged back into the living room.

Randy was in the kitchen, heating water in a small pot. He looked up at her, a smile starting on his lips, but then froze.

She looked at him nervously,"I must look like a wet cat, huh?" she said jokingly.

He slowly shook his head, and said simply "You're more beautiful than any woman I've ever seen."

He came around the counter and walked up to her. She looked up at him, her dark eyes wide as he gently brushed her wet hair back from her face. Her breath stopped in her throat as he bent down and kissed her.

The rest of the night was a blur.

* * *

Present Mara watched as the room darkened and the two figures faded away. She was touching her lips, reliving the memory of their first kiss.

"He cooked us ramen noodles, they were the only food he and Joe had in the house. By the time Joe came home we were..." she glanced at the ghost and blushed, "Well...you know..."

The ghost looked at her with a small smile,"You were happy?"

"Yes," Mara admitted, "we were happy for a long time. What's happening? Where are we now?"

The light was brightening again and this time they were standing on a beach. The beach was empty except for two people walking hand in hand along the sand. Randy looked healthy, muscular, his smooth skin tan in the warm sunlight. Mara was wearing a simple black bikini, sun glasses and a large, floppy hat.

"So, when are you going back on the road?" she asked.

Randy shrugged,"I leave tomorrow afternoon. I'll be gone for a five day stretch but then I'll be back."

"OK, "she sighed,"I'll miss you."

He stopped walking and turned to her, his hand sliding through her hair, "I'll miss you too. But I want you to have something to think of me by."

Her heart skipped a beat as he dropped to one knee. Oh god.

He held her hand, his blue eyes looking earnestly up into hers,"Mara, I love you, more than I've loved anyone in my entire life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Mara looked from his eyes to the ring he was holding out in his hand. A wide smile flashed across her face, "Yes! Yes!"

He jumped to his feet and swept her up off of her feet, swinging her around before he set her back down and kissed her...

Present Mara turned away, tears in her eyes, "Why are you showing me these things?" she asked, "This is all in the past, it's over and done with. I lost him. What good is going to come of me seeing these things again?"

The ghost Caitlin was implacable, "We have one more place to go."

"No," Mara shook her head, "No more! I don't want to see anything else!"

But the ghost was relentless as she grabbed Mara's hand and led her into another scene...

An apartment swirled into existence around them. It was dimly lit, a lamp overturned, throwing harsh shadows on the ceiling. Dirty dishes were on the dining table, a broken glass littered the kitchen floor. Mara could hear angry voices, yelling. In start contrast to the previous scene, this was one of anger and chaos. Like the scenes before, Mara recognized this one instantly.

"Oh no..." she said in a stricken voice, "No...please, not this. Caitlin...ghost, whatever you are, take me out of here!"

"I told you, these are the shadows of the things that have been," said the ghost, " They are what they are, you created them, don't blame me."

Mara heard something crash in the bed room and turned to see Randy storm out, "Keep it then!" he shouted, "I don't care!"

He was carrying a large suitcase in one hand and a duffel bag in the other.

Mara followed him out, "Sure," she yelled,"just run away! Isn't that what you do best? I'm sorry! I made a mistake, what do you want me to do?"

Randy turned to her,"I want you to leave me alone, we're over, we're done."

Mara stared at him, open mouthed, then her lovely face clouded in rage. She yanked the engagement ring off of her finger and threw it at him as hard as she could. It hit him on the arm and bounced away.

"Fine! Go!" she spat,"I'm glad you know. I've wanted to tell you for the last month anyway! I've been looking for a nice way to let you down but this works just as well. You're boring Randy! I can't stand being around you! Do you really think I'd want to marry you? Go! Get out!"

Randy gave her a long disgusted look, then turned and walked out the door. She slammed it behind him so hard the windows rattled. She stood there, breathing hard. She turned, adrenaline crashing and her eye fell on the ring. She picked it up, sat on the couch and turned her face into the cushions and began to sob.

* * *

Mara turned away, crying. "Get me out of here, I'm not seeing any more. Get me out of here damn you!"

There was dead silence. She opened her eyes to find herself back in her hotel room, back in her bed. Tears were streaming down her face. She felt exhausted. She turned over on her stomach, buried her face in the pillow and cried herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Mara woke with a start, disoriented. It was freezing cold in her room but that hadn't been what woke her. She sat up, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. She wiped her eyes, her face was still wet. It took a moment before she realized she'd been awaken by the sound of a chime, the single chiming of a clock. She looked at the bedside clock.

1 o'clock.

She swung her feet out of bed, gasping a little when they hit the cold floor. She looked around the room, determined not to be blindsided this time if another 'ghost' should show up. As she approached the bedroom door, she hear a faint music. There a light shining under the crack of the door. She pushed the door open.

It was still her hotel room, that much she could tell but other than that it was almost unrecognizable. It was decorated like some kind of child's amusement park, with balloons and streamers and flowers galore. There were stuffed animals and sparkling mobiles hanging from the ceiling. Trays of cakes and cookies and fruit of all kinds were on the tables. There was pizza and hot dogs and ice cream. And among all of this childish abundance sat a girl.

"Com in! Come in! Don't be shy!" She cried merrily when she saw Mara.

Mara entered hesitantly. The girl was the spitting image of Caitlin as she lay in her hospital bed, only this one looked happy and healthy. Her eyes were kind and her smile welcoming but Mara felt ashamed and had trouble meeting her eyes.

"I'm the Ghost of your Present," the ghost girl said, "Come closer!"

Mara did, observing that this girl was wearing a loose silken robe. Her feet were bare and on her long chestnut hair she wore a wreath made of holly. She had a belt of bright metal links around her waist.

"Have you seen my sister?" The Ghost of Present asked.

"I think I have," Mara said.

"Oh you probably did," The Ghost said, "I have so many siblings, and it's so hard to keep track."

"Look, "Mara said, "if you have somewhere to take me, why don't you just get this over with and take me."

The Ghost smiled, "Touch my robe." she said.

Mara did and suddenly, everything, balloons, stuffed animals, food, vanished in a trice as they flew through the sky, over roads, over rooftops.

They came flying down to a quaint suburban neighborhood, to a neatly kept house with a neatly kept yard.

"Where are we?" Mara asked, not recognizing the house. Before the ghost could answer a large, black pick up truck pulled up into the driveway. The license plated read VIPER.

The door opened and Randy Orton hopped out carrying several grocery bags. Next door, an attractive blond was checking her mail. She saw Randy and greeted him.

"Hi Randy! When did you get back in?"

Randy turned and smiled "Hey Rebecca! Got in yesterday. How have you been?"

Rebecca walked up to the picket fence dividing their yards. She had a toothpaste white smile and a California tan. "I've been good. Hey, I was wondering, remember you promised to catch dinner and a movie with me the next time you're in town? How does tonight sound?"

Randy gestured toward the bags of groceries in his hands, "Oh, I'd like to but I'm actually having dinner with a friend tonight. Maybe some other time?"

Rebecca pouted, "Well, OK, but I'm going to hold you to that."

Randy winked at her, "I won't forget!" he hurried into the house.

The inside of the house was neat and clean but he rushed around, tidying up any way. He quickly vacuumed the carpets and wiped down the kitchen counters, then started dinner. As the oven preheated he took a quick shower, shaved and dressed in a gray slacks and a blue shirt that brought out the color of his eyes.

Mara suddenly realized that he was getting ready for their date, the date she had missed last night. Her heart sank. God, couldn't she have at least called him to let him know she wasn't coming?

He put some champagne on ice and made a salad, checked the time and turned the oven down. There was a knock at the door. He glanced in the mirror before hurrying to open the door.

"Hi-" he paused. The person on the other side wasn't Mara but a ten year old girl scout hauling a wagon full of cookies, "Uh, hi" he said.

"Hi, mister!" she said cheerily, "Would you like to buy some girl scout cookies?"

"Uhm, sure, let me get my wallet," he said. He ducked back into the house and grabbed some money," Uhm, I'll take five boxes of thin mints."

"Gee, thanks mister!" the girl scout happily sold him the cookies and dragged her wagon back down the driveway and onto the next house. Randy looked around outside before going back inside. He looked at the clock. 7:15.

He opened the fridge and grabbed a beer, opening it and taking a long swig. He checked the oven. Lit some candles. Made sure the champagne was getting cold. Took another swig from his beer.

7:25.

Mara watched, helpless as he started looking outside every five minutes, pacing the floor.

7:35

Finally, he grabbed his phone, then remembered he didn't have Mara's number. He cursed under his breath. Looked out the window again.

At 8 o'clock he turned off the oven and shoved the wilting salad into the fridge. He had another beer.

"Mara, where are you?" he said under his breath.

"I'm right here, Randy,"Mara said sadly, "I wish I had come to see you."

At 8:30 he popped open the bottle of champagne, turned the TV on and began drinking.

By 9:15 he was passed out, bottle empty.

Mara stood over him as he snored, wishing she could do something. "I'm sorry Randy," she said.

The Ghost of Present stood next to her, "He seems really disappointed."

"Don't you think I know that?" Mara snapped, "I just didn't think it meant so much to him."

"What do you mean to people, to those in your life?" The ghost asked.

Mara stared at her, "What are you talking about?"

"How do people see you?"

Mara shrugged,"I don't know. People at work generally kiss my ass. I'm pretty well respected. I'm good at my job."

"Does anyone love you?" The Ghost asked gently.

"Well...of course someone loves me..."Mara said slowly, "My parents and..." she stopped, at a loss.

The Ghost took her hand, the scene swirled. They were standing in a bustling office. Phones were ringing, people were walking busily back and forth. Mara looked around.

"This is my office." she said."This is where I work. Look, there's my assistant, Lisa." The moved closer, Lisa was chatting with another woman.

"Oh my god, Sarah, you have no idea how glad I am she's gone for the week." Lisa said rolling her eyes.

Sarah laughed, "Is she really that bad?"

"You have no idea," Lisa said, "As soon as I'm done with my night classes and get my degree, I'm am so out of here. And I pity the next person who gets stuck with that bitch."

Sarah looked curious,"I thought she was pretty good at what she does? I mean, haven't you gotten to learn a lot from her?"

Lisa snorted, "Yeah right, like how to sleep my way up the corporate ladder?"

Sarah's eyebrows shot up, "Really?" she asked. fascinated.

Lisa glanced around and lowered her voice, "You've never heard? I thought everyone knew."

Sarah grinned at the prospect of good gossip, "Like who?"

Lisa shrugged,"Like James, and Kimball and Dorcy and Aldret, to name a few.'

Sarah looked gleefully revolted, "I never would have guessed," she whispered, giggling.

"That she's been ridden more times than a rented mule?" both women broke up in laughter, "Oh god," Lisa said, wiping her eyes, "And she is so cheap! Guess what I got for Christmas last year..."

The scene grew blurry, faded, leaving Mara with a face burning with humiliation. "That little bitch!" she exploded, "I gave her that job, I hired her! I've been nothing but nice to her!"

The ghost looked at her silently, Mara faltered, "Well...I have, I mean yeah, I give her a lot of work and she has to work the occasional weekend, but she's an assistant. She's supposed to pay her dues like that!"

Mara turned around in frustration, "How much longer is this going to take?"

The ghost waved her hand ,"We have one more place to visit...and very little time."

Mara sighed,"OK, let's get this over with."

The Ghost held out her hand. Mara reached out but hesitated. There was something different about the ghost. She no longer looked exactly like the Caitlin she knew. She was changed, she looked older somehow. Caitlin was in her early twenties, this woman looked a good 10 years older.

The Ghost of Present touched her hand and they were off again.

This time they flew above the city streets, soaring high above the traffic below. They headed toward a large building. After a moment, Mara recognized it as the hospital. They flew down and soared right through the walls and into Caitlin's room. There were a number of people in the room in addition to her parents and brother. She was sitting up, the respirator tube was gone and she was awake and smiling.

"Oh, Caitlin, I almost forgot to tell you, a friend of yours was here to see you yesterday. A woman from some agency, named Mara?" her mother said.

Caitlin's eyes widened in surprise,"My PR agent?" she whispered in a strained voice,"Wow, I haven't heard from her in like six months. She was really here?"

Caitlin's mother nodded, "She seemed like a lovely woman. She even took a blood test to see if she was compatible to donate part of her liver to you."

Caitlin seemed subdued,"Yeah, that..."

Her brother spoke up, "Don't worry Cat, we'll find someone. In the meantime, rest. It's a miracle you woke up, another miracle will come."

Caitlin smiled. All day, Caitlin's room fill with well wishers, coming and going, just happy to see her awake. Mara felt a pang as she watched the steady stream of people who came to see Cat not because they were looking for anything in return, but because they genuinely cared and loved her. If it were her in the hospital bed, how many people would she have visiting her?

After a couple of hours the nurses restricted visitors to family only. Caitlin was getting tired. There was a soft knock at the door and Cat's brother opened it. It was Randy.

Mara's heart jumped. He looked so good, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.

"Hi," he said softly, stepping into the room. Cat's mother rose and gave him a hug.

"Oh hello dear. It's lovely to see you. I thought they were restricting visitors?"

"I told them I was Cat's brother. I hope you don't mind?" He said.

Cat smiled, "Not at all. I'm glad to see you."

Randy sat beside her bed and took her hand,"How are you feeling?"

Cat shrugged,"OK for now. Just really tired."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Randy asked.

Cat smiled,"Maybe get me a new liver?"

Randy smiled back, "Darling, you know if I could, I'd share mine with you in a heartbeat."

He gave her a hug and stood up,"Well, I'd better be going, but I'll come back tomorrow, if that's OK?"

Cat's mother nodded,"You are always welcome here, dear."

Mara turned and watched him go with a heavy heart. She'd lost him once, she was never going to get him back.

She turned to the Ghost of Present and was shocked. She no longer looked just ten years older, she had aged until she looked like an old woman. Lines had appeared on her face, her chestnut hair had gone white.

"Ghost, what's happened to you?" she exclaimed.

The ghost smiled gently, "My time is almost up,"

"Your time?" Mara repeated,"Are you dying?"

The ghost, nodded,"My life in this world is very brief. It'll end tonight."

"Tonight?" Mara gasped.

"Yes, I will leave you in the company of my sister..."

"Your sister? Who?" Mara asked.

The ghost was fading away, her voice growing fainter as well.

"Fare thee well, Mara. Look to your soul..."

Mara looked around in the void of darkness. She heard chiming, one, two...the chimes faded away.

She felt a chill run up her spine. She slowly turned around and saw a hooded and cloaked figure slowly floating toward her.

The phantom drifted silently toward her and as it drew closer, she felt an urge to drop to her knees. She resisted the urge, barely and waited for it to say something. When it remained silent she cleared her throat.

"Are you...are you the Ghost of my Future?" she asked timidly.

The ghost remained silent but raised one pale hand and pointed forward.

Mara still lingered, "Wait, the things you're going to show me, are they things that _will_ happen or just things that _might_ happen?"

The ghost remained motionless but she got the distinct impression it inclined its head once in a nod.

Mara felt her legs tremble. It wasn't just the creepy costume the ghost wore, there was something inexplicably terrifying about the figure. She could see nothing of its face but she knew it wore Caitlin's face and that its eyes were fixed upon her.

"OK, ghost," she said, "You're giving me the heebiest of jeebies. Satisfied? But please, I want this night to end. Lead on and show me just how crappy my life is going to turn out."

The Ghost turned and floated down through the floor. She followed and soon realized they were still in the hospital, some hospital. They entered a stark sterile room, filled with metal lockers. Two men dressed in scrubs, aprons and masks were working around a table.

"Damn, this one is pretty hot for an older broad. How did she die?" one of them said.

"Not sure, they're autopsying her tomorrow. All I know is that it was sudden and unexpected. If it hadn't been for the cleaning lady finding her this morning, she might not have been found until Monday."

"Cleaning lady, huh? What, she rich or something?"

"She's pretty well off as far as I heard. Heads a PR firm, works with the rich and famous. Has three houses, one here, one in Vail and one in Malibu."

"Damn, I wonder who she left all that to?"

"Don't know. It sure as hell wasn't me!"

There was laughter.

"Funny thing. We haven't had any family come down to claim the body, yet."

"Huh, maybe she was a major bitch. You never know."

"Hey, lookey what we've got here. Think that's a real diamond?"

"You think a fancy broad like her would be wearing costume shit?"

"You think I should take it?"

"Sure, no one's gonna notice it's gone anyway."

The voices faded away...

"So, who was that woman?" Mara asked.

The ghost said nothing.

"Ok, Ok,," Mara said, "I get it. If I keep being a bitch I could end up like her. No one to love, no one caring if I'm dead, right?"

The ghost was silent.

Mara sighed, "Fine, where to next?"

The ghost pointed. Mara turned. A house, Randy's house, she recognized.

"What's there?" she asked, trying to stall, dreading what she might see. The ghost pointed relentlessly. Mara nodded and they approached the house.

The house was decorated differently from the last time she'd seen it. It was still neat and tidy but there were signs of a woman's touch in the soft rugs and the homey throw pillows. A man was relaxing on the recliner, reading a magazine. He turned his head and she recognized Randy.

He was noticeably older, there were laugh lines around his eyes and the slightest touch of grey around his temples but he was still oh so handsome. Mara gazed at him in wonder, drinking in this vision of what he might become. His eyes fixed on the spot where she stood, almost as if he could see her.

"Honey?" he said, startling her. Could he see her?

"Randy?" she whispered, but before she could do more than take a single step, another voice came from behind her.

"Hey babe!" A beautiful blond walked into the room. She bent down, slipping her arms around his neck. He held her by the waist as she gave him a long lingering kiss.

When they finally broke the kiss Mara was able to see the woman's face. She recognized her. It was Rebecca, the blond from next door. Was he dating her? sleeping with her? What was going on?

"How did it go?" he asked.

"It went fantastically!" She answered, "You would have been so proud of him!"

He nodded, "I wish I could have been there."

She put a fond hand on his cheek."I know. He knows."

"I won't miss the next one." He promised.

The door opened and a little boy, about ten years old ran in, "Dad!" he cried out joyfully when he saw Randy.

"Tyler!" Randy scooped his son up and gave him a big hug.

"You should have seen me dad! I kicked ass!"

"Tyler!" Rebecca said, but she was still smiling.

"Sorry, Mom, But I really did!"

"That's awesome son! I think this deserves a trip to get some ice cream!"

"Yeah!"

Mara watched as Randy and his wife and son walked out the door. She felt a knot in her chest made of jealousy and sadness as she watched them go.

"Thanks a lot, ghost," she said,"What was that for? Just to rub it in?"

The ghost did not reply.

"OK, where to next?" she asked sarcastically.

The surroundings darkened, clouds crossed the sky. She looked around, the house was gone. In its place was a cemetery. She squinted. A funeral was taking place, a rather large one with many mourners. She tilted her head. Who had died?

"Who died?" Mara asked.

The ghost remained silent, just pointed toward the funeral.

Mara swallowed and walked slowly toward the knot of mourners. As she approached she could slowly make out the individual people standing around the grave. To her horror she recognized Caitlin's mother and her father and brother.

"Oh my god," she whispered, "Did Caitlin ever get her liver transplant?"

The ghost slowly shook its head.

"She...died?"

Mara put her hand over her eyes. What kind of person was she? How was she living her life? A thought, nagging at first, but growing ever more persistant occured to her.

"Ghost," she said, "That woman, back in the morgue, who was she?"

The ghost turned and pointed across the cemetery at a grave on the far side of the cemetery. The grave looked forlorn, unkempt. Unlike most of the others, there were no flowers upon the grave.

"Is that her grave?" Mara asked.

The finger pointed, never wavering.

"Before I go look and see whose name is on that headstone. Will you at least tell me something? Are these visions of things that will happen, or things that might happen? I mean, can I change things, now that I know?"

The ghost never uttered a word.

Mara kept on, almost babbling, "Of course, they must be changeable, otherwise why would you be showing them to me, right? It wouldn't make sense."

The ghost urged her on, closer and closer to the gravestone.

Mara turned and crept toward the gravestone.

She raised her eyes and read upon the neglected stone her own name.

"It _was_ me!" she cried. "Oh my god, no! Please. Give me another chance! I can change. I swear it! I'll be a better person. I'll stop living my life the way I've been living it! You have to believe me!"

She grabbed the spirit by the arm. Her hand closed on empty cloth as the robe suddenly collapsed and the spirit vanished and she found herself clutching a blanket in her own bed.

Her own bed.

Oh my god.

And it was still light outside.

She looked around wildly, and grabbed the bedside clock. It read 6:32. What day was it? She called room service.

"Room service, how may I help you?"

"What day is it?" she demanded.

"Uhm, excuse me?"

"The date! What is the date?"

"It's the 16th, of August." said the bewildered voice.

"Thank you! Thank god, I'm not too late!" she yelled as she slammed down the phone.

"Oh my god, I'm not too late. I don't know how they did it but they gave me the time back!"

It was true, she was back to the same day she had visited Caitlin in the hospital.

"Thank you ghosts, wherever you are. I am going to be a changed woman! I promise you! But first, there's a guy I have to see."

She quickly got dressed and plugged Randy's address into her navigation system. She raced to his house and was there by 7:15.

He opened the door before she could knock, as if he'd been waiting and watching for her.

"Mara!" he said, looking relieved, "I was going to call you to see if you were having trouble finding the house but-"

Mara didn't say a word. She grabbed him and kissed him. He stiffened in surprise but after a second he was kissing her back.

They kissed until they were breathless. Randy finally broke it off, raising his head, his blue eyes searching hers. "Mara, what-?"

Mara placed a finger over his lips, "I've got a lot to tell you. But the first thing I want to say is, I'm sorry."

* * *

The next morning Mara called the hospital and volunteered to donate part of her liver to Caitlin. Caitlin's parents were absurdly grateful.

Mara kept her promises as she reevaluated her life and made changes for the better. She and Randy began seeing each other again, slowly building their relationship back up through love and trust. Eight months after they started dating, she moved in with him. A year after that, they were married.

Mara resigned from her job and started putting her skills to use in volunteer work. She did a lot of good and made many friends who loved and admired her for her generosity and selflessness. Caitlin's family unofficially adopted her as their own, giving her a family that she'd never dreamed of and after a few years, she and Randy started their own family.

Mara never forgot the lessons she learned that fateful night, nor did she forget the ghosts. She became a well respected member of the community, so much so that in time people forgot that they'd once thought she was a shallow, stingy bitch. Her heart was full, her life was full and never again did she take her life or her love for granted.

**The End**


End file.
